The Story of Mallory Lestrange
by Elizabeth Diana Adair
Summary: When Mallory Lestrange, the girl everyone hates, is sorted into Gryffindor, all of Hogwarts is stunned. She is determined to prove that she belongs and that, despite common beliefs, she and her mother are not the same person. Please review!
1. The Sorting of Mallory Lestrange

Mallory Deirdre Lestrange. The illicit daughter of none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, infamous Death Eater. She had had the whole world whispering horrible things about her ever since she was born. No one loved her. All her life, she had been shunned by everyone she had met. Imaginary friends were the only people she could talk to without being scoffed at or threatened to death.

And as she watched Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, have the Sorting Hat lowered onto his head, she thought how alike, but how very different they were. After all, they had both been unloved and grown up without friends, but _he _had come to Hogwarts to find out everyone loved him, and Mallory had come to Hogwarts to find that it was the same as at home. Everyone, even the Hufflepuff table, had looked at her disgustedly as she had walked into the Great Hall.

"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the Sorting Hat, and happily, Harry Potter skipped off to sit next to a redheaded boy with a smudge of dirt on his nose (a Weasley, no doubt, thought Mallory, remembering how Lucius Malfoy had come home from work one day in a particularly bad mood because of how 'Arthur Weasley' was a 'disgrace to the wizarding community').

"Mallory Lestrange," Professor McGonagall called out, and for a second, a dark look passed across her face. Behind her, the staff table started murmuring amongst themselves. Only two acted as though nothing had happened - Dumbledore, and a very tall man who looked as though he were a giant.

Mallory came up and sat on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Hat on Mallory's head, and it sunk over her eyes, blocking her view.

"Ah, I see. I see. A Lestrange? Usually I would put you in Slytherin, but you're different. A desperate thirst to prove yourself to others, but also to be liked and accepted. Quite clever, too, not to mention ambitious. Brave, as well, and plenty of courage. Where should I place you? Hmmmm. Best put you in... GRYFFINDOR!"

Mallory's eyes widened underneath the Hat. Gryffindor?

The whole school sat in shock for a few seconds. No clapping, no cheering. Not for Mallory.

Professor McGonagall must have had a moment of shock as well, because it took her a few seconds longer to take the Hat off Mallory's head.

Slowly, Mallory got up, feeling quite strange and confused. She was certain any moment now, the Sorting Hat would yell out that there was a mistake, that no, it had made a mistake, that Mallory was supposed to be Slytherin, because surely it _was_ a mistake.

"Go on," said Professor Dumbledore from his seat. Although his tone was not unkind, Mallory flinched. Perhaps this was all a dream? She _did _feel rather faint as she slowly made her way to the Gryffindor table. Unsure of where to sit with all the spare seats, she slid onto the end of the table as 'Mandy Brocklehurst' was sorted into Ravenclaw. She glanced down the table once as 'Susan Bones' was sorted into Hufflepuff and saw everyone's heads turning away very fast, as though they had all been staring at her. She heard Harry Potter ask the Weasley boy what was the matter with her. Mallory's eyes began to well up and she swallowed, hard, until the tears went away. She would not cry and give them the satisfaction. Yet it still stung, and she still wanted to cry.

She was glad that the attention came off her when Dumbledore announced for the feast to begin, for everyone was focused on the delicious food that had suddenly filled the platters in front of them. Mallory had grown up half-starved by her mother and the Malfoys, and should have been tucking in enthusiastically, but the lump in her throat forbade her to eat. She spent most of dinner staring at the plate with bright eyes in an attempt to shut out the world.

If she had been paying attention, she would've noticed that Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall had exchanged worried looks over her, and that the latter was feeling rather guilty for allowing a dark look to flitter even for a second over her face. She would've also noticed that Harry Potter was trying to catch her eye and and smile at her, for he felt rather sorry for her and, from what Ron Weasley had told him, he had deciphered that the two of them had lived a similar life before coming to Hogwarts.

But Mallory had not been paying attention. It was only when dinner was over and Dumbledore was speaking that she forced herself to come back to reality and listen.

"Now that we have filled ourselves up with all this delicious food, it is time to sleep. Prefects, please show the first years in your house to their dormitories. Have a restful night and be ready for classes in the morning. But before - let us sing the school song. Choose your own melody and ready - set - go!"

Everyone started at different times and sang to a different tune. Mallory, not quite knowing the lyrics, guessed at it a little, trying to smile like everyone else. In the end, a pair of twins (also Weasleys, Mallory guessed by their red hair) were left singing to a slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted the last notes.

"Goodnight!" he called, his voice drowned by the excited chatter that had suddenly filled the air as prefects shepherded first years out of the Great Hall. Mallory found herself swept up with the rest of the Gryffindors, and tried to make herself invisible. No one endeavoured to talk to her, and she was glad. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the night's events, and needed time to think.

Mallory was so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed when they had reached the Gryffindor common room. She shook awake when the prefect that had lead them there began to tell them about the dormitories.

"This is the Gryffindor common room, where you'll spend a lot of your time. The boys' dormitories are on down to your left, the girls, that's the same on your right. On the door of each dormitory is where you'll find your names and which dorm you'll be in. Your things have already been brought up."

Mallory followed the rest of the girls down to the right. An excited, nervous feeling came over her, before it dimmed. The girls in her room would most likely hate her, just as the rest of the school. Nevertheless, Mallory searched for her name on the doors.

She soon found it on a door with 'Hermione Granger, Parvati Patil, Lavendar Brown and Colleen White'. Inside were five poster beds, and Mallory quickly took the end one, closest to the door. She hoped the other girls would ignore her and go to sleep, but they seemed to just want to talk all night. Well - apart from a girl with two slightly crooked teeth and bushy brown hair, who simply introduced herself as Hermione and took the bed at the other end of the room, before opening a textbook to read. Eventually, she drifted off.

The other girls seemed to giggle and chat endlessly, even after the lights were turned off at nine.

Mallory made a Herculean effort to ignore them as she dove under the covers, but it was impossible. Around 11 o'clock, the chatter died down and they went to sleep. _Peace at last, _she thought.

It took her about two seconds to realise she would never fall asleep. She got out of bed and crept out of the dormitories, into the common room.

Sitting on one of the fat, red sofas was none other than Harry Potter.

He looked up, and Mallory's eyes widened.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll go," she stammered.

"No, no. Stay." He waved his arm at the sofas around him. "There's plenty of space."

Mallory had never known such kindness; she wasn't sure what to do. She glanced at him unsurely, then lowered herself onto an armchair.

"What brings you here?" Harry asked.

Mallory shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Neither," said Harry.

The two of them sat there, staring at the fire.

Harry started to say something.

"I know what you're going to ask, Harry," Mallory interrupted, looking at him. "Didn't that Weasley boy tell you?"

Harry looked at her awkwardly. "Only that you were the illicit daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange."

"And that the whole world hates me?" She couldn't help but laugh a little. Harry looked even more awkward at this.

"Well - yes. I'm sorry."

"It's not new news to me. I don't need anyone's pity. I've gotten used to it," said Mallory, looking away. She knew he didn't mean to look so sorry for her, but she had learned to be independent over the years.

"I think we're similar, you and I," Harry started, but Mallory cut him off.

"I was thinking that at the start, too, but we're really not. Everyone loves you, and everyone hates me. You'll have an easy life after Hogwarts, because everyone will want you. You'll probably become some important Ministry man and with a steady income, you'll marry some girl you like and have kids and live in a big house. I will not. No one will want to hire me, because of who my mother is, and I'll probably die lonely and on the streets. Our past may have started off the same, with families that hated us, but our future will not be. Do you understand?"

Harry did not have anything to say to this. Mallory took a deep breath.

"Anyway, I should probably go to bed. Goodnight," she said, and walked upstairs. Harry did not call her back.


	2. Cousin

The next day meant firsts for everyone. Except for Mallory, whose future here may as well have been set in stone for her. Everyone knew who she was, so there was no such thing as "new beginnings" for her. She detested the fact that every teacher flinched when they said her name. It did not go unnoticed by her cousin, Draco, who caught up to her after a particularly horrid Potions class and tugged at her black braid to get her attention. Her eyes watered and she nearly dropped her textbook, before regaining her composure and sighing.

"Please let go of my braid, Draco," she said calmly.

"Let go of my braid, Draco," he said in a nasally voice, in what Mallory thought was supposed to be him mimicking her. He tugged on her braid even harder, and Mallory fell to the floor.

Her back felt as though it was on fire, and her books had gone flying everywhere. The other students stopped and stared as she struggled to her feet.

Mallory looked angrily at Draco.

"Leave me alone," she said in a low, dangerous tone.

Draco just laughed. "And if I don't?"

Mallory didn't know what to do or say, and instead glared at him rather hotly. In one, quick move, he took hold of her arm and pulled her closer to him. Despite how hard she struggled, Mallory couldn't escape from his grasp.

"You are a disgrace to our family. A Lestrange in Gryffindor? Disgusting!" he hissed in her ear.

"Let - me - go -" gasped Mallory.

"You'll never be great like Aunt Bella. You're a mistake, worthless!" Draco continued.

Mallory glared up at him into his grey eyes.

"You're vile," she spat.

Draco's face darkened and he pushed her away. She fell onto the floor again. Her knees and elbows scraped against the floor and she glowered at her cousin in pain and anger. She had hit her left palm on a chipped part of the wall, and she could tell it was bleeding from the way the cut stung.

Suddenly a familiar voice spoke behind her.

"You leave her alone, Malfoy!" said Harry Potter. Behind him was Ron Weasley, who looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but here.

Mallory scrambled to her feet, cheeks red with embarrassment and eyes filling rapidly with tears, and collected her books before marching off.

"Mallory - wait!" Harry called. He began to chase after her, with Ron following closely behind. She didn't stop walking, but they caught up. "Are you alright?"

She stopped. "Fine. Spectacular. Great. Now kindly leave me alone."

"We're going to be late. Let's go, Harry," Ron said, not quite looking Mallory in the eye.

She began to walk away.

"Charms is the other way!" she heard Harry call after her.

"I know!" she yelled back.

Mallory had no intention of going to class. After the encounter she had just had with Draco, how could she go to _Charms? _No, she needed space.

The Gryffindor tower seemed like a good idea.

She snuck past Professor McGonagall's office and went down to her dormitory. She stayed there for the rest of the day.

Later that night, while everyone else was studying, Professor McGonagall called her into her office.

"Sit, Miss Lestrange," she said, looking very strict. Mallory had grown up with the Malfoys and Bellatrix Lestrange; she was used to being given looks far, far worse, but something about Professor McGonagall's severe expression made her feel small on the inside.

"What did I do, Professor?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.

"I think you know the answer to that, Miss Lestrange." Professor McGonagall began to pace. "You've been missing from classes for the _whole day! _Why is that, Miss Lestrange?" She stopped in front of Mallory.

Mallory met her look calmly. "You really don't want to know."

"Oh, I can assure you that I most certainly would," said Professor McGonagall, her eyes flashing.

Mallory's stomach lurched. She didn't quite know how to phrase this.

"Well, what it is-"

At this point Harry came running into the office.

"Professor, it wasn't Mallory's fault that she missed class. Malfoy bullied her, you see, and-"

"Harry, shut up!" Mallory's face drained of colour. She didn't know why, but she didn't want Harry to help her.

"Miss Lestrange!" scolded Professor McGonagall, astounded. She turned to Harry. "Please explain."

Mallory turned completely white and glared at the floor furiously as she listened to Harry explain the situation - and what was even more infuriating was that he was right.

"And since most of our classes for the rest of the day are with the Slytherins, I bet Mallory hid herself away to avoid him."

"Well - thank you, Mr Potter, for that. I wish to have a few words with Miss Lestrange, now. Kindly shut the door on your way out," said Professor McGonagall.

Mallory did not return the smile Harry sent her way before shutting the door gently.

Professor McGonagall lowered herself into he chair and sighed. "Why didn't you want to tell me, Miss Lestrange?"

Mallory looked down at the floor. "I guess I don't like asking for help."

"Any injuries?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Mallory shrugged. "Not really." She tried to move her left arm behind her back discreetly. Professor McGonagall noticed.

"Show me your hand," she commanded.

Mallory shot her a pleading look. "Please don't."

Professor McGonagall was having none of it. "Miss Lestrange, your hand."

Still, Mallory kept her arm behind her back. Finally McGonagall leaned across the desk and grabbed at her arm.

Mallory gasped in pain as the Professor traced over the cut. She saw what seemed like anger in her eyes as she dropped her hand.

"Well, I can assure you, Professor Snape will be told and hopefully, Mr Malfoy will be accordingly punished-" McGonagall started.

Mallory looked up sharply and interrupted loudly. "No!"

Professor McGonagall looked at her, startled by her sudden outburst. "Why ever not, Miss Lestrange?"

"I can't give him the satisfaction. And also, can you imagine what his parents would do to me if I got him in trouble?" Mallory blurted. Her eyes widened at the same time as Professor McGonagall's did. "Oh. Oh. I shouldn't have told you that." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Please forget that I said that."

"Of course, of course... I forgot you were living with the Malfoys," she muttered. She looked up suddenly, as though she had just remembered that Mallory was there, and smiled sadly. "I'll send you to the hospital wing to get your cut checked. Be on your way now, Miss Lestrange."


	3. Mallory's Secret

Instead of heading to the Hospital Wing, Mallory took a detour to the Owlery. The Weasley twins were there, and they exchanged nervous glances before greeting her.

"I won't curse you, if that's what you're wondering," she said calmly. "I'm not my mother."

"Of course not. You're Mallory, she's Bellatrix," one of them replied, laughing nervously.

"So you know my name before I know yours. How very convenient," continued Mallory.

"Well - I'm Fred and - this is George," the other said, smiling in a way that didn't quite reach his eyes. "What are you doing up here?"

Mallory suddenly realised she didn't come here with a letter. What _was _she doing up there anyway? She didn't quite know herself.

"Waiting for a letter." She immediately felt silly for lying, but it appeared to do the trick. The twins nodded.

"Right. Um, we'll leave you to it, then," said George, before the two of them walked out of the Owlery.

Mallory sighed. The truth was, she felt as though animals were the only ones who wouldn't judge her. Who was she kidding? She didn't even have an owl.

Not long after, she returned to the Gryffindor common room. Everyone was still studying, but they all looked up and flinched when they saw her. Except for Harry.

He waved her over. Ron immediately kicked him.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Harry glared at Ron as Mallory stood above them.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You missed half a day's worth of classes," said Harry - for Mallory had stopped going to classes after third period (Potions).

"And?"

"Well, you need to catch up, don't you?"

Mallory hesitated. "Just tell me what we're supposed to do and I'll sort it out."

"Well - the Wand-Lighting spell in Charms - we're supposed to be able to produce one by our next lesson. The Bouncing Bulb in Herbology - no homework for that, just read up about it if you want - the Curse of the Bogies in Defence Against the Dark Arts; you have to read chapter 1 in the textbook about it. And, well, flying - no homework for that, either."

"Thanks," Mallory said, and went to her dormitory. She had no desire to do her studying in the common room, as she had had enough of people staring.

She was hoping to be alone, but Hermione Granger was there too, reading what appeared to be the DADA textbook.

"Oh, hello," Hermione said in a friendly tone. "It's Mallory, isn't it?" Before Mallory could say anything, she continued: "It's completely ridiculous that people are staring at you and saying such horrible things about you. You're not your mother, that's obvious, because you're in Gryffindor and she was in Slytherin, wasn't she? I know people stare at you now but, you know, it'll wear off eventually. And also - do you need help with your homework? I really rather good at it."

She said this all very fast.

"Um, thanks. But I'm good," Mallory said, flashing a quick smile.

Hermione smiled back and went back to the book.

What did Harry say was the homework again? Oh - yes, the Wand-Lighting spell_. _This would be simple, thought Mallory. She knew the incantation already.

"Lumos," she said, and light shone at the end of her wand. At this Hermione started talking again.

"Oh! I got it first time, too. Say, what's your wand made of? Mine's vine wood, ten-and-three-quarter inches, dragon heartstring."

"Mine's willow, phoenix feather, eleven-and-a-half inches," Mallory replied quietly.

"Did you know that phoenix feather is the rarest type of wand core?" Hermione continued to rattle off facts about different wand cores.

Mallory ignored her and began to read the chapter on the Curse of the Bogies.

_The Curse of the Bogies is a particularly nasty spell, which causes the victims to have a cold and, more specifically, an extremely runny nose. This is also accompanied by constant sneezing, and may cause the victim to collapse if not treated. The incantation is "Mucus ad Nauseam" (pronounced MYOO-kus ahd NAW-zee-um) and the light produced from the end the wand should be green._

Mallory amused herself with the idea of cursing Draco with this spell for a second, then continued to read. She finished the chapter just before lights out. This time, _all _the girls in the dormitory fell asleep almost at once.

The pain in Mallory's hand was too intense for her to do so. She found herself creeping down to the common room once again.

Harry was there again, but this time, he was with Ron. Ron looked rather awkward and a little frightened upon seeing her there, but Harry simply gave her a smile.

"Hello, Mallory."

"Hello," Mallory replied.

"Couldn't sleep?" Ron asked nervously.

Mallory turned to him. "Something like that."

In the corner of the common room, Fred and George Weasley were murmuring over a piece of parchment. Ron noticed them and walked over - partly as an excuse to get away from Mallory.

"Hey morons. What are you doing?" Mallory heard Ron say.

"None of your business, Ronniekins," said Fred, stuffing the parchment into his pockets.

"Leave the big boys alone, nosy," George added.

Ron scowled and rejoined Harry and Mallory.

"You're lucky you have no older brothers," he murmured to the both of them. Mallory and Harry laughed.

"You have obviously never met Dudley, then," Harry said, chortling. "He used to jump on the stairs that I lived beneath, so sawdust would come raining down on my head."

"You think that's bad? The Malfoys used the Cruciatus curse on me for _fun,_" Mallory said, not quite realising what she had said until after.

The two boys both stared at her - Ron in horror, Harry in confusion.

"That's… horrible," the redhead gasped. "That's inhumane."

Mallory's palms began to sweat. "Um - um…"

"You should tell someone - anyone!" said Ron fiercely. "They should be sent to Azkaban for it!"

"I - forget I said that," Mallory said, lamely.

"I hate to break up the mood, but what's the Cruciatus curse?" Harry piped up.

"It's a really inhumane curse that causes the victim to be overcome with excruciating pain," said a voice from behind them.

The trio spun to see Hermione. She looked repulsed and sad at the same time.

"Mallory, you _need _to tell someone! It's horrible. I'm sure Professor McGonagall would do something - you should take it to Dumbledore!" she said, joining them.

"What are you talking about?" Mallory laughed nervously. She pinched herself behind her back. For years she had kept the secret - how could she be so _stupid _as to reveal it to people she had known for two days? "I don't know what you're saying. They're - they're very kind to me." Her voice trembled with the weight of the lie.

"Mallory-" began Harry.

She didn't want to hear it. "I - I need to sleep. Goodnight."

Ignoring the calls of her name, she hurried into her dormitory and pretended to be asleep when Hermione came in only ten seconds later.


	4. Dumbledore's Office

Mallory successfully avoided Harry, Ron and Hermione for another week. However, she couldn't avoid them forever and soon, Ron and Harry had her cornered five minutes before class started, in the Transfiguration classroom.

"If you won't tell Professor McGonagall, we will!" said Harry angrily.

"For the love of Merlin, be quiet!" Mallory hissed, looking around to see if any Slytherins had heard. Fortunately, only a pair of sweet-faced Hufflepuffs sat in the far corner of the classroom, out of earshot.

"We're serious, Mallory," Ron said. "We really will tell Professor McGonagall."

"You will do no such thing!" Mallory's eyes were looking everywhere but Harry and Ron. "This is my business, and my business _alone._ I have told you already - the Malfoys treat me very kindly - don't meddle in things that aren't yours to meddle in!"

Mallory would have continued had the door not have burst open. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle stumbled in. Her face drained of all colour as he smiled viciously at all of them.

"I was passing by, and I couldn't help but hear my family's name," he jeered, sauntering up to them and taking Mallory's arm forcefully. "Any trouble, cousin?"

Mallory stared at the ground, heart thumping. "No," she muttered, almost inaudible.

"What was that?" Draco gave a sharp tug on his cousin's arm.

"No," she said, looking him in the eye evenly.

"Good. I didn't think so, mm…? Come sit with us Slytherins, cousin, for that's where you belong…"

Mallory looked at Harry and Ron helplessly as she followed Draco meekly to sit beside him.

"I heard the whole conversation, cousin," Draco hissed in her ear. "I'm going to write to Mother and Father and tell them you've been letting others in on our secret… they might just let you home for Christmas, you know…"

Mallory scowled at him, although she was - deep down - scared. "You git."

Draco's sneer dropped. "Oooh, cousin, getting wordy, aren't you? Might want to start respecting your elders."

Mallory gave him a look of pure resent and exasperation. "We're the same age."

At that moment, Professor McGonagall walked in. She shot Mallory a slightly bewildered look upon seeing her seating, before teaching them how to conjure butterflies.

Mallory's hand, which was not healed, stung too much to function properly. So although this spell was fairly simple, she could struggled.

Professor McGonagall appeared preoccupied with Harry and Ron at the other side of the room to notice, and Mallory was relieved - for although she had eventually succeeded at conjuring the vibrantly coloured butterflies, the cut in her hand was red and rather evident against her pale skin, and Professor McGonagall was sure to notice.

Thankfully, Mallory did not have Draco in any of her classes until the last two - Flying and Potions; however when the time came, she left more distraught than she had come. He had shown her the draft of his letter, and mockingly said he would send it the next day.

Flying was hard for Mallory. The cut in her hand was getting worse and she could barely grip the broom. Yet she managed to fly around - not as well as the others, perhaps - but still, she was flying.

Mallory skipped dinner. She couldn't eat, not when she was so worried about Draco's letter. She sat alone, in the common room, staring at the crackling fire.

Professor McGonagall returned early. Mallory heard the door shut and the tell-tale click-clack of her heels, but didn't turn around.

"Miss Lestrange."

Mallory turned around and stood up. "Professor McGonagall."

"I don't recall seeing you at dinner," she started.

"That's because I was never there," interjected Mallory crossly. "And I've got quite a lot on my mind, so if pardon me for saying, but I'm not in the mood for conversation."

She did not know what made her so resentful of Professor McGonagall's sudden appearance, but she was fairly certain she was angry with everyone right now.

"Miss Lestrange!" Professor McGonagall said in a shocked tone and glaring.

"What?" Mallory matched her glare evenly.

"Mr Potter and Mr Weasley informed me of your circumstances with the Malfoys."

Oh, Merlin.

Mallory didn't hear the rest, because she tuned out.

The Malfoys would _kill her._

She started hyperventilating. She couldn't breathe.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no.

She wouldn't be allowed to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas now. All these years she had fantasised about spending Hogwarts away from her family - no, they weren't her family. And now Harry and Ron had ruined it.

Tears blurred her eyesight.

"Miss Lestrange? Miss Lestrange?" Mallory vaguely heard McGonagall say.

She sank to the floor, her tears spilling over.

"They've ruined it," she whispered, "Harry and Ron. Please tell me you haven't told Draco yet."

McGonagall walked over to her, worry clouding her eyes.

"Miss Lestrange," she said softly. "I'm sorry. We have informed Professor Snape and written to the Malfoys about this matter."

Mallory closed her eyes, breathing heavily. "They'll kill me." Fear clenched her heart. "They'll kill me, they will."

"Miss Lestrange-"

"No!" Mallory interrupted, eyes flying open. "No. You've all - you've all ruined it." Her voice was shaking. "I could finally spend Christmas away from the Malfoys - and now - this. They'll want me home now. They'll want me home for Christmas."

Professor McGonagall breathed in very sharply. "Miss Lestrange. Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you and the Malfoys. They're waiting for you in the office."

Mallory wanted to run and hide someplace beautiful where no one could find her.

"No, please no… not them. Anyone but them."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, Miss Lestrange," said McGonagall. Was that pity on her face? No. Not pity. Anything but pity.

"We'd better get going, then." Mallory stood up and took a deep breath, smoothing down her robes.

There was no mistaking the surprise in McGonagall's voice when she agreed and followed the young girl out of the common room.

In the hallway, Mallory saw Harry and Ron. Their eyes met for a second, before she tore away angrily. It was technically their fault that she was in this situation. She felt sickened by herself only a second later. Was she turning into Draco?

"Raspberry liquorice," said Professor McGonagall, and the gargoyle began to spin. Mallory stepped into the moving staircase, looking back only once to see her head of house looking at her with a concerned expression. She looked away quickly - for concern and pity were things she couldn't stomach.

Once the staircase had slowed to a stop, Mallory could hear the all too familiar yells of the Malfoys and her mother and not so familiar yells of Dumbledore's. She was surprised; she had never heard Dumbledore yell like this before.

"I will not have the Malfoy name soiled by that child!" thundered Lucius.

"Soiled? _Soiled? _I think your name will be more than soiled after this had leaked to the press!" shouted Dumbledore.

"Listen, _Dumbledore,_" snarled Bellatrix. "You're making some very dangerous enemies. Here's the deal - you forget about all this, and we'll spare your life."

Mallory felt sick. Although Dumbledore might brush this off as normal Bellatrix behaviour, she had seen what her mother was capable of. Memories of that dreaded green flash of light filled her mind and she could not bear it anymore. She pushed the door open without knocking and stumbled into the office.

If she had not been worried about her life, she would have stopped to appreciate the beauty of the Headmaster's office. It was circular, with full bookshelves that seemed as though they held every book in the whole world. A majestic red-and-gold bird sat on a perch, observing each and every person in the room carefully.

Lucius, Narcissa, and Bellatrix turned to look at her. Bellatrix's lip curled in disgust, as though Mallory were a disgusting bug she had found in her room. She walked over to where her daughter was and glowered down on her.

"You absolute _imbecile_," she spat. "How _dare _you reveal family secrets to outsiders?"

"You are no family of mine." The disgust in Mallory's voice matched her mother's, and for a fleeting moment, everyone in the room felt as though they were seeing a recreation of Bellatrix's teenage self. Not only was the resemblance absolutely uncanny, but the disgusted tone in her voice was unmistakable. The only difference was the red-and-gold tie neatly fixed around Mallory's neck. Bellatrix's eyes dropped to the tie and in one, quick, sudden move, she pulled out her wand and cursed the tie to tighten around her daughter's neck.

Mallory gagged and her hands flew to the rapidly tightening tie around her neck. She heard McGonagall leap to her feet with a yell - and Bellatrix's maniacal laughter as she tilted the wand to increase the speed - and through her blurring vision, she saw Narcissa stand up, startled, and Lucius pull her down to her seat again. She heard the bird's distressed cry, and just as she started seeing black spots, Dumbledore yelled, "Enough!" and shot a spell in between mother and daughter, breaking the curse. Mallory lay on the floor, gasping for breath. She looked up at Bellatrix - but she was smirking, blowing a curl out of her eyes casually, as though she had done something as simple as eat a Pumpkin Pastry.

"How could you?" spat Minerva. "How could you look your own daughter in the eye and try to kill her?"

"Oh, it was easy," said Bellatrix breezily. "I consider her no relation of mine."

Although Mallory had grown up hearing things like this, she still felt the sting of hurt. She hated herself for it, for that _stupid _voice inside of her that didn't understand why Bellatrix could not love her own daughter - but it did exist; it existed deep inside her - deep, deep inside of her, but still there. She stood up shakily and glared at her mother.

McGonagall began to talk again. "You absolute -"

"Minerva, enough," Dumbledore interrupted, his voice once again calm - yet it still had a note of anger in it. McGonagall fell silent, but continued to glower at Bellatrix. "Bellatrix, Lucius, Narcissa." Mallory noticed Narcissa flinched at her name slightly. "I hope you will not mistreat Miss Lestrange anymore. It is absolutely inhumane."

Narcissa bowed her head slightly, but Bellatrix and Lucius stared stiffly ahead, as though they had not heard Dumbledore speak.

"Come on Cissy, Lucius. Let's go," said Bellatrix angrily. She did not even look at Mallory as she stepped into the fireplace. Well - truth be told, none of the three did.

Mallory sighed in relief as the green flames died away. She was safe for another term. Professor McGonagall left the room and she turned to follow.

"Miss Lestrange."

Mallory turned. "Professor?"

Dumbledore hesitated. Then he smiled sadly and shook his head.

Mallory left the office feeling dazed and confused.


	5. Troll

Mallory did not wish to speak to Harry or Ron for the rest of her life, but that was asking too much. She did, however, manage to avoid them until Halloween.

She noticed them running out of the line that Percy was leading, and followed quickly after. They, of course, were too busy murmuring to notice her in the shadows.

"We have to hurry," said Harry. "Hermione's probably so scared."

"I highly doubt it," said Ron dubiously. "If she came across it she'd know how to defeat it, I bet."

"Still, though, we should go after her," Harry replied.

"If Percy finds out..." Ron grumbled but continued walking.

At this point, the troll came lumbering by.

"For the love of Merlin's saggy left b-" Ron began. Harry pulled him behind a pillar and Mallory scooted around the corner. She heard their footsteps, and then a door slam, and a victorious shout of "YES!"

And then, a female's scream of terror.

"Hermione," Mallory breathed, and stepped around the corner, no longer caring whether they saw her - but they had already disappeared into the room that they had shut the troll in. She nearly laughed - it was the girl's bathroom, but then she heard shouts of terror and ran in. Hermione was crouching beneath a sink, trying to avoid the troll's club, Harry was swinging from the troll's grasp, and Ron was standing in the middle of it all, his freckled face pale and gaping.

"Mallory!" the three of them yelled.

"Help" shouted Harry as the club swung closely toward his head. "Mallory, Ron! HELP! Do something!"

"What do I do?" Ron yelled cluelessly.

Mallory, however, knew just what to do. She took out her wand and pointed at the wand.

"Petrificus Totalus!" she yelled, pointing at the troll.

A white light shot out of the end of her wand and the troll froze.

"Jump, Harry, jump!" Mallory called. Harry did. He landed right next to her as the troll fell, down, down down, onto the ground.

Hermione crept out from under the sink, looking shaken.

"Oh, my," she said, gaping at the troll. "Is it dead?"

"No. Just petrified," Mallory said dully, staring at the troll. She hated the spell; Draco used to cast it on her when they were kids and laugh as she fell. She wasn't sure exactly why the spell had suddenly flashed in her mind, but it had been the first spell that she had thought of, and besides, she had just saved their lives.

At this moment, McGonagall, Snape, Flitwick and Quirrell all came in.

McGonagall gasped and stumbled backwards in shock.

"What - what is this - explain yourselves!" She regained her composure and fixed them all with a glare.

_Oh, no, _thought Mallory. There was no way they would get out of that one.

"Well, you see," began Harry.

"It was my fault," Hermione interrupted.

Harry, Ron and Mallory exchanged looks of surprise. Hermione Granger, teacher's pet and know-it-all, telling a straight-up lie to a teacher? And not just any teacher - _McGonagall._

"Miss - Miss Granger?" McGonagall turned to her.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I went looking for the troll. I thought I could handle it because I've read loads about them. I - I overestimated my abilities - and it was Harry, Ron and Mallory who saved me here. If they hadn't come, I would've been dead by the time anyone realised." Hermione's eyes were fixed on the ground. Mallory wasn't sure whether it was a sign of fake guilt, or because she couldn't bear looking McGonagall in the eye while telling a lie.

"Well, that was very unwise of you, Miss Granger," McGonagall said shakily. "Well - I hope you learn from this and never do anything so rash again. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor. And as for you three - Miss Lestrange, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley - you must realise how lucky you are. Five points - " at this Mallory flinched slightly - "will be awarded to all of you."

The four of them glanced at each other in delight. Snape looked like a wounded puppy. McGonagall turned to leave, but Flitwick spoke up.

"Who cast the Full Body-Bind Cruse?" he piped up in a squeaky voice.

McGonagall turned around again, disbelief flashing across her face."Full Body-Bind Curse?" she said in an uncertain tone.

"Yes. You see, this troll has been hit by a Full Body-Bind Curse. This is a rather advanced spell for an eleven-year-old - I usually teach this to third years, you know," Flitwick continued.

Harry, Ron and Hermione all stared at Mallory, who felt her face burning in embarrassment. The four teachers followed their gaze to Mallory and Quirrell and Flitwick seemed to flinch slightly. The difference was that Flitwick hid it quickly and Quirrell continued to look at Mallory fearfully.

"Ah, Miss Lestrange, is it?" Flitwick said. "Where did you learn that spell?"

Mallory focused her gaze on the ground. "The Malfoys."

There was no point in trying to disguise the reluctance and the disgust in her voice. She _hated_ them. When she looked up, everyone visibly flinched. Mallory looked in one of the shattered mirrors and could see her mother in her eyes. She shivered - and just like that, Bellatrix was gone.

"Ah - yes." Flitwick's voice was uneasy. "Of course. I had forgotten about your - your living arrangements."

Mallory looked at him and saw pity in his eyes. She scowled at the ground. She hated being pitied.

"Ten points to Gryffindor for use and knowledge of the spell, Miss Lestrange," Flitwick said after a long pause. Mallory was relieved to hear that his voice was no longer uneasy and full of pity.

"Now off to bed, all of you," McGonagall said, her voice still shaky, and she and Flitwick went out of the bathroom.

"Very lucky, aren't we," said Snape coolly. The children looked up at him. "To have survived a full-grown mountain troll's attack, hmm?" He fixed them with a cool stare and left the room.

Quirrell was the last teacher in the room.

"B-best go off t-to b-b-bed, eh?" He said, smiling weakly. "I'll deal w-with this t-troll."

Mallory, Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't question him. They left the bathroom in a hurry because 1) it was awkward for Harry and Ron to hang around in the girls' bathroom, and 2) there was a_ troll_ lying on the bathroom floor. It was rather quiet on the walk back, until Hermione spoke up.

"That curse you did back there was impressive, Mallory," she said softly. "I mean - it completely knocked out the troll and you saved all of our lives."

Mallory shrugged and smiled. "It was pretty nice of you to lie for us, Hermione."

"We're sorry that we told McGonagall about the Curse, Mallory," Ron spoke up.

"We thought we could help by telling her," Harry said softly.

Mallory looked at the two of them carefully. They did look genuinely sorry. For a split second, Mallory considered not forgiving them at all. But what had been done was already done, and what was the point of being angry with them?

"It's alright," she told them with a smile on her face. They looked relieved. "I mean, you were only trying to help."

"And - did it do anything?" Harry asked eagerly. "You know, to help," he added, off her confused look.

Mallory's face fell. "I don't know yet. I think Professor Dumbledore wants me to stay for Christmas, but I'm not sure."

"We're sorry, truly," Ron said.

Mallory shrugged and changed the subject to Quidditch. It wasn't a very subtle change to the conversation, but they played along.

"Oh!" Harry suddenly bolted upright. "I just remembered - I have my first Quidditch match on Saturday!"

"I'll help you train, Harry," Ron and Mallory said at the same time.

They stared at each other.

"Wow, that's awkward," said Hermione, and they all laughed.

"Where did you learn to ride a broom?" Ron asked as they reached the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Cor fortium," said Hermione to the Fat Lady, who was half asleep.

"What are you youngsters doing out at night? I swear, I should put a locking charm on this," the Fat Lady muttered, but let them in.

"Snuck out a few times on Draco's broom at night to train with some people outside of town," Mallory shrugged as they walked in. "You?"

"My brother Charlie played for Gryffindor. He could've played for England if he didn't decide to go and work with dragons. He was a Seeker like Harry. Fred and George are Beaters on the Quidditch team. They're amazing too. Ginny's not too bad herself as Chaser when she's not crying over being hit by the Quaffle or something, and Bill's a bloody amazing Keeper. Mum always refs for our games, and Dad plays sometimes as Chaser. If we can get Percy to play, he's a pretty good Chaser too. Shame he doesn't play more," Ron said thoughtfully. "I play Chaser. What about you?"

"Seeker," said Mallory. "I'm not very good, though."

Ron shrugged, out of things to say, and followed Harry down to his dormitory. Mallory followed Hermione to theirs and found the other girls fast asleep.

"'Night, Mallory."

"'Night, Hermione."


	6. Christmas Day

There's something that changes when you save each other's lives. You don't just nod a 'hello' at each other in the hallway anymore; you smile at each other, stop, and maybe chat.

Harry, Ron, Mallory and Hermione now sat together during meals, study time and in classes. They cheered Harry on during Quidditch matches, screaming and hugging each other whenever Gryffindor won. They did homework together in the common room, all four of them huddled together in front of the fireplace. They were open and honest with each other and became the closest of friends.

Hagrid had let loose something about Nicholas Flamel, and the four of them were on the hunt for any information about him. It was rather fun, sneaking around the Restricted Section every other night, although Hermione did make the "I told you we shouldn't have done it" face whenever they lost them house points for not doing homework. For once in her life, Mallory felt herself enjoying herself, feeling _happy_ because she was accepted for who she was and not who her family was.

But all good things must come to an end.

Christmas was fast approaching, and Mallory found herself worrying more and more about it. In her sleep, she dreamt of opening a letter at breakfast and Lucius Malfoy's voice calmly informing her that she would spend Christmas with them.

"You should tell Dumbledore," said Ron as Mallory sat down across from him at breakfast, glancing at the roof every two minutes, as though the Malfoy family's owl would drop her a letter. "I bet he can pull some strings."

"He can't," Hermione piped up as she sat down next to Ron. "The one thing in Hogwarts he doesn't have control over is whether families wish to take their children home or not."

"I'm sure that made her feel loads better," Ron muttered to himself. Hermione glared at him.

"Well - I was only saying what I had read in -"

"Hogwarts, A History," Ron, Harry and Mallory finished Hermione's sentence for her.

Hermione looked slightly miffed. "Well, yes."

"What do you think?" Mallory asked, fiddling with the ends of her hair.

"I reckon you should go to Professor Dumbledore and tell him. I mean, I think he's pretty against the thought of you going back to the Malfoys," Ron said, shovelling eggs into his mouth.

Mallory glanced up at the teachers' table and noticed Professor Dumbledore was absent.

"Why is he always gone?" she wondered out loud.

"You should go now. We have -" Harry checked the time displaying on the clock above the teachers' table "-half an hour before classes."

"I don't know the password," Mallory said.

"Yes, you do. Didn't you go with McGonagall all those weeks ago?" Hermione asked.

Mallory sent her a withering look. "I'm pretty sure he'd have changed it by now."

"It's still worth a try, though. I'll go with you," Hermione said, snapping the book she had been reading shut. "I mean, isn't his passwords always a Muggle sweet? I'm Muggleborn. I know a lot of sweets."

Five minutes later, Hermione and Mallory stood in front of the griffin door, trying to guess the password after 'Raspberry liquorice' did not work.

"Lollipop? How about lollipop?" Hermione said to the staircase. It didn't move.

Mallory was in fits of laughter. "What - a lollipop - what is a lollipop -"

"Shut _up _Mallory. I can't think. Barley Sugars? No? Uh - Rosey Apples!"

"Oh, Merlin! I can't breathe! Why would you name a sweet a - a _Barley Sugar?_"

"Mallory, I swear... Mint humbug!" Hermione sounded desperate. Mallory laughed harder. "Chocolate lime!"

Mallory stopped laughing as a thought occurred to her.

"Wait - wouldn't it be something to do with Christmas?" she asked.

Hermione stared at her for a second, then turned to the griffin. "Candy cane!"

The griffin spun, and the staircase began to move. Hermione and Mallory looked at each other in shock.

"You are a genius, Hermione," Mallory said as they stepped onto the staircase.

"No, not really." Hermione sounded embarrassed, but she was smiling.

The staircase slowed to a stop. Mallory held a hand over the knocker, but Dumbledore's voice rang clear through the door.

"Come in," he called.

Mallory and Hermione exchanged glances of bemusement and pushed open the door.

"Miss Lestrange, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said cheerily, his blue eyes twinkling. "I see you guessed the password to my office and succeeded. Candy canes are delicious things. Care to try one?" He gestured to a bowl of red-and-white cane-shaped sweets.

Hermione took one while Mallory eyed them suspiciously. She had never had Muggle sweets before, with Lucius declaring them dangerous, and Narcissa being against all sweets.

"Go on, try one," Hermione said. "They're minty."

Mallory had no idea what "minty" meant and decided against trying one.

"What brings you here?" Dumbledore asked after they sat down.

Mallory faltered slightly. She stared at her hands.

"Christmas," she muttered. "I was wondering about where I'm going for Christmas."

Dumbledore hesitated, then sat back in his chair. "Well. If we follow the rules, it says that guardians have complete control over whether their child stays for the holidays or not. Then again, I never had much regard for rules."

Mallory looked up and smiled. "So that means..."

"After what you told me weeks and weeks ago, there is no way you are going back to the Malfoys."

Mallory sank into her chair with relief.

"Thank you," she said breathlessly. "Thank you."

That was how Mallory came to spend Christmas at Hogwarts.

Seventeen students were staying in total, five Hufflepuffs, two Slytherins, six Gryffindors, and four Ravenclaws. McGonagall, Dumbledore, Hagrid and Flitwick stayed at Hogwarts to look after the students.

Mallory, as usual, wasn't expecting any presents, but on Christmas morning, she heard Ron's excited shouting for everyone to wake up.

"Shut up, Ronniekins," Mallory heard Fred mumble.

"Yeah, Ronniekins. Us big boys need our sleep, you know."

Mallory giggled to herself and looked around her dormitory. She was the only Gryffindor girl staying for Christmas, and for a moment she wished Hermione was here with her, braiding her hair with her, picking clothes with her. Then Ron called her name. She ran out of the dormitory and looked over the balcony.

"Merry Christmas, Mallory," he grinned.

She grinned back. "Merry Christmas, Ron." She noticed the maroon sweater he was wearing with a massive grey "R" knitted on the front. "What are you wearing?"

He looked down and smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Mum knitted it. It looks like you have one too."

Mallory looked at him in disbelief. "What? Really? Are you joking?"

"No," Ron laughed. "'Course not. Come down and see for yourself."

Mallory leapt down the stairs in excitement and wonder. She had _presents?_ The Malfoys had never bothered with her.

Under the Christmas tree, Mallory found a small pile of presents addressed to her. She smiled when she saw "Mallory" and not "Mallory Lestrange", before tearing open a lumpy package. It was a scarlet jumper with a bright yellow "M" on the front. She smiled. The red reminded her that she belonged in Gryffindor. She put it on over her white top and jeans.

While she was opening a box of fudge, Harry came down. He had a sweater too - emerald green. He was pulling it over his head when Fred and George walked into the room wearing light blue sweaters.

"Wowee, Mum's knitted both of you sweaters too!" Fred said. He gestured to the yellow 'F' on his sweater. "She thinks we don't know our names."

"Yeah, we know we're called Gred and Forge," George said, and they cracked up laughing.

"They make that joke a lot," said Ron to Harry and Mallory, rolling his eyes.

At this moment Percy walked into the room, dressed in a red shirt and grey tracksuit pants.

"Oh, my! Is that Prefect Percy I see?" Fred said mockingly.

"Looks like you have a sweater too!" George danced over to the tree and pulled out a lumpy package. He tore it open and revealed a lumpy yellow sweater with a green "P" knitted on the front.

"Ah, 'P' for Prefect! C'mon, put it on, Perce!" Fred laughed as George threw the sweater towards him. He caught it and the twins wrestled it over Percy's head.

"I - don't - want -" said Percy thickly, his glasses askew.

"And don't even think about sitting with that Ravenclaw prefect today. Christmas is a time for family!" said George as they frog-marched him out.

"But - but -" Mallory could hear Percy sputtering and protesting the whole time.

Harry, Ron and Mallory looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Is this what a family is like?" Mallory asked, still giggling.

Silence fell over the trio. Harry made eye contact with Mallory and they nodded at each other. They both knew what a not-normal family was like.

"Um - why don't we open the rest of our presents?" Ron asked, breaking the tension.

Mallory looked under the tree and pulled out her last present. She recognised Malfoys' traditional green-and-silver wrapping paper and gasped. What was this? The Malfoys had never given her anything before.

"What is it, Mallory?" asked Harry, opening his own box of fudge.

"The Malfoys sent me something," said Mallory, eyebrows furrowed.

"What? What did they send you?" Ron looked over at her.

"I don't know." Mallory was getting scared. What would Lucius send her? "Oh - there's something written on the wrapping." Ron and Harry gathered around her.

_Merry Christmas, _it read in gold writing.

"Something's wrong," Mallory immediately said. "The Malfoys would never send me anything."

"Maybe they're just being nice?" Harry pointed out.

"No. You haven't met them, Harry. You don't know them. Uncle Lucius hates me. He tried to kill me once. If it wasn't for Aunt Narcissa I would've died." Mallory shivered, remembering the time Lucius had pinned her to the wall by the throat and Narcissa's scream that had saved her life, _"Lucius, no!"_ Out of all the Malfoys, Mallory liked Narcissa the best. Maybe it was her quiet attitude, or her gentle, motherly appearance, or the fact that she had never hurt Mallory personally.

"What do you think is in there?" asked Ron.

Mallory swallowed. "I don't know. And I kind of don't want to know." Yet her hands still trembled towards the wrapping. Harry and Ron didn't stop her as she tore it open. Inside was a glass box of lollies. Muggle lollies. A letter was taped to the top of the box.

Mallory blinked at it.

They laughed for a solid five minutes before Mallory opened the letter. In Hermione's neat handwriting read:

_Hey Mallory!_

_Hope you're having an amazing time at Hogwarts. These are all the lollies I keep telling you about. Merlin, I didn't know how much I missed them until I went home! These are all my favourites. Raspberry drops, lollipops, sherbet sticks, and the like. Can't wait to see you next term._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

"Wrapping was probably a coincidence," Mallory said, laughing as she passed the letter to Ron and Harry for them to read.

She opened the box and popped a red piece of candy in her mouth.

"That's a raspberry drop," said Harry. "My cousin Dudley pigs out on them all the time."

"Have some!" Mallory offered the box around. Both of them took a lolly, and they went down to breakfast.

Dumbledore was waving merrily at them, tinsel twisted around his wrists.

"Merry Christmas, all!" he called happily. He winked down at Mallory as she entered. Mallory smiled back.

McGonagall was wearing a red-and-green tartan gown and her hair was twisted into an elegant bun. She was smiling and laughing at something that Flitwick had said, and Hagrid was humming merrily to himself. Everyone was seated at the same table, enjoying a delicious breakfast of hashbrowns, sausages, eggs, bacon and toast. Mallory tucked in and discovered she was getting used to good food.

After breakfast, Mallory, Harry and Ron went down to the Quidditch pitch to zoom around on brooms. Harry, of course, had his Nimbus 2000 that McGonagall bought for him, while Mallory and Ron used the school's old Cleansweeps.

"Whoo-hoo!" she yelled, standing up on her broom and riding in circles around the pitch.

Ron and Harry were quite used to her trying out fancy tricks and for a while, it went on like it usually did, sans Hermione.

Mallory trying new tricks and being the gutsy daredevil idiot she was. Harry taking the practice Snitch out and trying to catch it over and over again. Ron yelling out tips while he was riding slow circles around the pitch.

The only thing missing was Hermione, sitting sideways on a hovering broom with a book.


	7. A Scene In The Dining Hall

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry I haven't updated in so long! My internet hasn't been working for a longgg time and my phone was broken so I couldn't use that, either. Well, now my internet's up and running again, so you can expect to see a lot of Mallory Lestrange chapters for the next few weeks! Let's get on with the chapter now. It's a short one, BTW, but enjoy anyway!

The day after Christmas Harry started to act up, which made Mallory worry. He was moody, refusing to talk to anyone, and often went off by himself for hours. Ron, too, didn't seem to want to talk to her. Every time she tried to talk to him, he coughed and made up some excuse about needing to leave. Mallory felt quite miserable and wondered what she'd done wrong.

But with misery came anger. Because she'd done nothing at all to them and they were treating her like the scum of the Earth. Three days before school started again, finally unable to take it anymore, she marched over to where they were sitting at dinner.

"I don't think it's fair that you two are ignoring me!" she exploded, causing everyone else in the Dining Hall to stop eating and stare. Harry's head snapped up and Ron's jaw dropped. "I've done nothing to you two and you've been treating me horribly for two weeks now! Why in the name of Merlin - just give me a goddamn reason!"

Usually she'd be embarrassed by the amount of attention she was getting, but she was too angry to care at the moment.

"Mallory, did you have to do that right here?" Ron whispered, flushing pink and eyes darting around the Dining Hall.

Mallory slammed a palm down onto the table, making Ron jump. "WHY HAVE YOU BEEN TREATING ME LIKE THIS?!" She could tell that her face was flushed red with anger, and she was shaking all over too.

"We don't have to tell you everything, Mallory!" Harry suddenly shouted, standing up. Mallory was taken aback for a second. But then her anger returned as quickly as it had gone. How _dare _Harry yell at her? It wasn't like _he_ had been ignored by his best friends for two weeks straight!

"No, you don't, but it doesn't mean that you can just treat me like that!" she fired back. "That's how you treat someone you hate! _I'm supposed to be one of your best friends!" _She shouted the last sentence louder than the rest in frustration.

"That's the first time I've heard about it!" Harry screamed.

It was as though he had slapped her across the face. She staggered backwards, eyes filling with tears and breathing sharply. The fire inside of her died down.

"That's what you think, is it?" Mallory struggled to swallow the huge lump in her throat. "After everything that's happened this year?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair, the angry expression on his face dying down to shock. "I didn't mean it!" he pleaded.

"Yeah, you did." Mallory's voice was soft, but the pain in it was obvious. She looked around and saw that everyone was staring. They all looked at her in terror, even the teachers - even _Dumbledore_, and she realized with a sick feeling in her stomach that she must have sounded and looked just like her mother when she was in a rage. "No. I'm not her. I'm not her!"

She fled from the scene.


	8. Forgiveness

When Hermione came back, she found herself in a very uncomfortable position. Mallory had not yet forgiven Harry and Ron. In contrast -

"MAL - LO - RY!" Harry shouted from across the Gryffindor common room. Mallory's head snapped up before she quickly looked down again. He didn't get the message. "CAN - WE - PLEASE - TALK - TO - YOU?"

"Listen, Mallory," Hermione said softly from next to her. "I've had to carry messages back and forth for a week now. Don't you think you should-"

Mallory shot her a look that made her fall silent. Picking up her books, she crossed the room and went up to her dormitory.

The next morning at breakfast, Mallory was surprised to see Hedwig swooping down at _her, _not Harry. The snowy owl dropped a letter, which, much to her alarm, began to sing -

"OH MALLORY, MALLORY, DON'T BE MAD," it screeched, "FOR IT MAKES US VERY VERY SAD!"

"Merlin's beard!" Mallory batted at the letter. It sang on persistently. Everyone was laughing and pointing, and she was sure that she was red in the face.

"PLEASE FORGIVE US, WE WERE IN THE WRONG! YOUR LOYAL FRIENDS, HARRY AND RON!"

The Hall exploded with laughter, and Mallory glared down the table, where Harry and Ron were sitting. They were both laughing their heads off, but when they caught her gaze, they stopped and tried to look solemn.

Mallory was furious. How _dare _they humiliate her like this?

She ripped the stupid letter into shreds and marched out of the Hall. Hearing footsteps behind her, she walked faster.

"Mallory, stop!" Ron shouted, catching up to her.

"Why would you do that?!" She was breathing heavily, her black curls bouncing.

"We thought it'd be funny," Harry said meekly.

"Oh, yeah? Funny? You call being humiliated in front of the whole school funny?" Mallory decided that their idea of funny was warped and demented.

"When you put it that way, it's -"

Harry kicked Ron not-so-discreetly. The redhead yelped in pain, clutching at his foot as the other boy pleaded, "Just give us a chance to explain."

Mallory wanted to hear this, so she crossed her arms instead of marching off. Taking her silence as a yes, he continued, "We saw the Mirror of Erised. A-And we found something out about Snape, and Quirrell, but we didn't know if we could trust you with the information."

Offended wasn't strong enough to describe how Mallory wasn't feeling. It wasn't angry, either - more so frustration and sadness. "You didn't think you could trust me? Why? Because of my mother?" When the boys looked down guiltily, she knew the answer. "How many times do I have to explain that _I am not my mother!"_

"We know!" Ron interjected. "And we're sorry. We were wrong to judge you by your family. Please forgive us. We need your help with the case."

Mallory knew that she couldn't keep this up. She sighed. "Alright. Fine. I forgive you."

Author's note: Sorry for the crass chapter. I just really needed Mallory to forgive Harry and Ron so I could get to the good stuff when they're friends.


End file.
